This Dr. Bronner's $25 Soap Smells Like Cannabis and Has a Message, Too

Earlier this month, David Bronner, CEO of soap brand Dr. Bronner’s, was hopping a short flight from Southern California up to Portland. As a dedicated supporter of Oregon Measure 109—which would legalize psilocybin-producing mushrooms for therapeutic use—Bronner wanted to be on hand for the ballot initiative’s historic passage. As the chief of a cultishly popular boutique skincare brand known as much for its castile soap as for its political activism, Bronner was also excited to have filled his carry-on bag with some samples of his latest product: a limited-edition bar of soap that, so far as anyone knows, is an industry first. It was only when he neared the phalanx of Transportation Security Administration agents that he realized that maybe he should have left those soaps back home. “I was like, 'Wow—this really smells!'” Bronner told Adweek, recalling how relieved he felt once he was aboard the plane. The soaps in question, you see, were infused with the scent of fresh marijuana. Even for consumers who are familiar with the activism of Dr. Bronner’s—a certified B Corporation that funnels roughly a third of its profits into a host of social and environmental causes—an apt question might be: Why? With all the fresh and floral scents in the world, why would any personal-care brand want to create a soap that smells like something that’s illegal in 60% of the country? As with all of Dr. Bronner’s marketing initiatives, this one has its reasons. The brand has partnered with an organization called Sun+Earth, a certification standard that assures a given cultivator has grown his cannabis outdoors, in natural light, without chemicals, tended by fairly paid workers. Sales from the limited-edition run will benefit the group’s work. Quirky Dr. Bronner’s Throws Its Brand (and Money) Behind Legalizing Psychedelic Drugs “We’re hoping that the excitement about this cannabis-scented soap helps encourage people to support farmers who grow cannabis and hemp outdoors with natural farming methods,” Sun+Earth executive director Andrew Black told Adweek. It’s an enduring truism about American consumerism that most shoppers don’t know where the stuff they buy—be it meat or clothes or cars—actually comes from. And, as legalization efforts have gained ground in recent years, that maxim has come to include cannabis, too. While it’s easy enough to imagine marijuana cultivation as the work of barefooted devotees tilling sun-kissed plots somewhere in the Cascade Mountains, the truth is often less idyllic. Cultivators raise at least a third of America’s cannabis crop indoors, under artificial light, where bringing just four plants to bloom uses the energy it would take to power 29 refrigerators, according to the U.S. Forest Service. In California, the cannabis industry uses 9% of all the state’s energy. An oft-cited Berkeley National Laboratory study estimates that for every kilogram of marijuana grown indoors, 4,600kg of carbon dioxide waft into the atmosphere. David Bronner with the "very limited-edition" soap. Then there are the chemicals. “In California and elsewhere, cannabis has long been grown with the help of large quantities of pesticides,” reads a 2019 paper published in the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental Health Perspectives, “including some intended only for ornamental plants and many that are associated with cancer or other serious health effects.” Bronner believes that most cannabis consumers need some educating on facts such as these. “There’s a lack of awareness. There’s not a lot of knowledge. People aren’t really thinking about it,” he said. “You should really be thinking about your cannabis in the same way you think about your food. You don’t want pesticides in your food—and you don’t want them in the flowers you’re smoking.” Jay Czarkowski, founding partner of industry consultants Canna Advisors, predicted that Dr. Bronner’s cannabis soap effort will resonate with a certain segment of the population. “Dr. Bronner’s soaps have long been a favorite of eco-conscious consumers, a group I’m guessing will be excited about the Sun+Earth Certification,” he said. “So it seems a logical match.” But Czarkowski has a qualm. It’s not so much with the marketing, but with the underlying message. Outdoor cultivation, he argues, cannot fully meet current market demands. He also knows “quite a few” indoor cultivators who use sustainable practices, he said. “I love the ideas of Sun+Earth Certification for the right place,” Czarkowski added. “I just wish Dr. Bronner’s would more fully consider the limiting constraints and not then turn on other producers.” Cannabis industry observers will also point out that, while the state of California might enjoy perfect weather for cannabis farming, other areas do not and have little choice but to grow it inside. Indoor growing is also a way to address the many security concerns that arise with this type of crop. Meanwhile, those who’d like a bar of Dr. Bronner’s cannabis soap won’t be able to find it at their local stores. Customers must make a donation of $25 or more to Sun+Earth, via its website, to get the soap. In addition, shoppers at participating dispensaries in Oregon and California who buy $50 or more of Sun+Earth-certified products can luck into a bar, too. Don’t expect the cannabis soap—which Bronner calls a “very limited-edition” product—to join the brand’s regular lineup, either. As it turns out, getting a bar of soap to smell like cannabis (naturally, at least) is no mean feat. Dr. Bronner’s used its classic recipe for the soap itself, but the scent comes from terpenes obtained from regenerative organic hemp. “Cannabis has an intense scent that’s complex and fun—but not practical,” Bronner said. “Those terpenes compete with cannabinoids, so it’s hard to produce terpenes.” As for how many people would really like to go around smelling like cannabis, well, that’s an open question. Though one may not relish the idea of emitting a cannabis bouquet if, for instance, he’s meeting the in-laws or just got pulled over by the police, Bronner insists the aroma dissipates quickly. “You may have a faint cannabis smell right when you hit the shower,” he said, but “it doesn’t permeate the world.” “Cannabis smells divine and is a sacred plant medicine,” Black added. “I had absolutely zero concerns about the soap smelling skunky, and hope I get an extra funky smelling bar.”